• by Ben Frederick  @mp_benfred, January 14, 2016

Mergermarket, a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market intelligence firm, released findings on global M&A trends in the telecommunications, media, and technology sectors in 2015 on Thursday. Globally, there were 3,021 transactions valued at $768.3 billion last year, up 46.6% in value over 2014.

Telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) M&A accounted for 18% of the market share in 2015, up from 16% in 2014. 2013 saw a higher percentage of the market share at 23%. 

The technology sub-sector increased 88% over 2014, reaching $421.6 billion to help drive the overall TMT value. Media reached its highest level since 2007 with more than 600 deals valued at $87.4 billion. Telecommunications also reached its highest value annually, with 196 deals valued at $259.3 billion, an increase of 5.8% over 2014. 

Regionally, the U.S. was the most active region, with 977 deals valued at $412.5 billion happening within its borders. The U.S. accounted for 59% of the total sector deal value in 2015, a 64% increase over 2014. Asia-Pacific also saw an increase in activity with 783 deals worth $177.7 billion, a 149% increase by value compared to 2014.

The companies driving much of these trends include Amazon, AT&T, Apple, and Facebook, though these companies differ in their strategies and use of liquid assets in the development of new products and services.

Mergermarket predicts that 2016 will continue to see a rise in M&A, particularly in the US, where many companies are starting to diversify and look for innovation in the face of the rapid shift of consumer demands